During the 2020 Virginia General Assembly session, the disAbility Law Center of Virginia will be monitoring developments in the legislature that may be of interest to people with disabilities. The 2020 legislative session in Virginia begins today, January 8th at noon. Even though this is a long session – 60 days – we expect that things will move very quickly! We will post regular updates on developments in the legislature to our website, to Facebook and on Twitter. So stay tuned!
We expect the legislature to consider:
- reforms to guardianship procedures and other legal tools for substituted decision-making
- changes to the conditions under which someone can be forced to undergo mental health treatment
- restricting the use of the death penalty for people with serious mental illness
- a possible hiring preference in state government for people with disabilities
- making it harder to license a group home for people with disabilities
- and countless other issues that may improve or restrict the rights of people with disabilities in Virginia.
We are available to educate policy makers about the potential impact of legislative proposals. Please let us know of any legislative proposals or budget issues that you think we should be following. Contact us at info@dlcv.org or by calling 1-800-552-3962 or 804-225-2042.
The mission of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia is to advance independence, choice and self-determination; protect legal, human and civil rights; and eliminate abuse, neglect and discrimination of people with disabilities through zealous and uncompromising legal advocacy and representation.